Week 4 - Wednesday

God Judges Rightly

And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? (Romans 2:2-3)

Outwardly religious or moral people are often the hardest to convince that they may be in danger of God's judgment. They mistakenly suppose, because of their religious activity or good deeds, that they will escape the judgment of God. Most people think they are "good" if they don't commit the really bad sins like murder, rape or bank robbery. They know they aren't perfect, but they expect God will forgive all their not so bad sins. Maybe they cheat on their taxes but most people do that. Yes, they speed when they drive but they are only keeping up with traffic. In their mind, their lies are only white lies. If they drink too much, they may justify it by saying it isn't hurting anyone else. Maybe they had an affair, but they really thought they were in love and couldn't help themselves. Even a person who is very moral and tries to perfectly keep the law but judges others, will be judged by God. The religious person often makes two big mistakes in assessing their own spiritual condition. The first is they underestimate their own sinfulness. They are so prejudiced toward themselves that they don't even recognize their own sin (Psalm 36:1-2). The second mistake they make is they undestimate God's standard for righteousness. God doesn't rank sins like we do. He judges the heart more than the actions. Jesus said that if we hate someone, or even call them a fool, we are just as guilty as if we murdered them (Matt. 5:21-22). To be judgmental toward the sins of others, when you are a sinner yourself, is something that is extremely offensive to God.

If the judgment of God falls upon a person, it does so rightly. Everything God does is right and according to the truth. He knows what's really in the heart of a person. He knows their every thought. He knows why they do the things they do. God has not given us the Bible, so we can learn it to judge everybody else's sins. He wants us to study His word and examine ourselves, so we correct our own sins. This doesn't mean we should never be concerned about the sins of others. There are times when God wants us to come alongside someone, in kindness and love, and show them the way. But there is a big difference between trying to help someone and being critical of them. The difference is that one is done because you truly care for a person and the other because you do not. When we pass judgment on the sins of others, we are more guilty than those we are judging. Not only are we sinners too, but we also are guilty of the ugly sin of self-righteously judging others.

Readings for today: Prov. 16:2; Psalm 145:17; Isa. 45:19; Jer. 17:10